TLDR
- Banned NBA player Jontay Porter wagered more than $50 million at FanDuel over about 18 months, according to The New Yorker.
- A FanDuel VIP host reportedly kept sending him bonus bets during a five-day Russian ping-pong binge.
- Porter was up $1 million on ping-pong bets, then down more than $400,000 by the end of the five days.
- He says he has no memory of a four-day stretch with 144 bets worth $1.2 million.
- Porter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces up to 20 years in prison.
Former NBA player Jontay Porter placed more than $50 million in bets at FanDuel over roughly 18 months, according to a new profile in The New Yorker. The story, written by Nick Berardini, traces how his gambling grew over time.
A key detail in the report involves a FanDuel VIP host. The profile says the host kept giving Porter bonus bets during a five-day run of wagers on Russian ping-pong.
The New Yorker account relies in part on Porter’s own description of events. It covers the period from his first large bet through his removal from the league.
How the Betting Grew
According to the profile, Porter’s habit started with day-trading before he moved into sports betting. The shift led to larger and more frequent wagers.
Porter told The New Yorker his first big bet was $125,000 on a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens. That game was played in Week 2 of the 2021 NFL season.
His betting picked up speed from there. The profile describes one four-day stretch in which he placed 144 wagers worth a combined $1.2 million.
Porter says he has no memory of that weekend. The report also states that he later lost a $500,000 home loan through gambling.
His total wagers at FanDuel topped $50 million across about 18 months. That figure covers all of his betting with the sportsbook during that time.
The Five-Day Ping-Pong Run
One of the most detailed parts of the profile covers Porter’s bets on Russian ping-pong. At one point during a five-day stretch, he was up $1 million on those wagers.
By the end of the five days, he was down more than $400,000, according to The New Yorker. That means he went from a $1 million gain to a large loss in less than a week.
The report says the FanDuel VIP host continued to send Porter bonus bets while this was happening. The bonus bets kept coming as his ping-pong wagers added up.
Porter was one of the first major US athletes banned for life over sports gambling since 2018. That year, the Supreme Court struck down PASPA, the federal law that had limited sports betting in most states.
The NBA handed Porter his lifetime ban in April 2024. The ban ended his career in the league.
Porter also faces a criminal case tied to his betting. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a charge that carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
Porter’s case is linked to the wider NBA betting scandal that came to light in 2025. That scandal involves Chauncey Billups, Damon Jones and Terry Rozier.
